My Aid

♫ The argument that the instrument is an aid to singing has been used since L. L. Pinkerton first used it.

Is it proper to use the instrument as an aid?

This Argument Misunderstands Instrumental Music in the Old Testament

My Aid ♫ The instrument was not an aid in Old Testament worship; it was worship.

My Aid ♫ The instrument was not an aid in Old Testament worship; it was worship. ♪ “The whole assembly worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded” (2 Chr 26:28, ESV).

My Aid ♫ The instrument was not an aid in Old Testament worship; it was worship. ♪ 2 Chr 26:28. ♪ “The Levites, thirty years old and upward, were numbered, and the total was 38,000 men. ‘Twenty-four thousand of these,’ David said, ‘shall have charge of the work in the house of the LORD, 6,000 shall be officers and judges, 4,000 gatekeepers, and 4,000 shall offer praise to the LORD with the instrumentals that I have made for praise’” (1 Chr 23:3-5, ESV).

My Aid ♫ The instrument was not an aid in Old Testament worship; it was worship. ♪ 2 Chr 26:28. ♪ 1 Chr 23:3-5. ♪ “The priests stood at their posts; the Levites also, with the instruments for music to the LORD that King David had made for giving thanks to the LORD” (2 Chr 7:6, ESV).

My Aid ♫ “Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!” (Ps 150:3-5, ESV).

My Aid ♫ The instrument was commanded in the Old Testament.

My Aid ♫ The instrument was commanded in the Old Testament. ♪ Hezekiah “stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres, according to the commandment of David and of Gad the king’s seer and of Nathan the prophet, for the commandment was from the LORD through his prophets” (2 Chr 26:25, ESV).

My Aid ♫ The instrument was commanded in the Old Testament. ♪ 2 Chr 26:25. ♪ “Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob! Raise a song; sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp. Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day. For it is a statute for Israel, a rule of the God of Jacob” (Ps 81:1- 4, ESV).

My Aid ♫ From the Old Testament, we see:

My Aid ♫ From the Old Testament, we see: ♪ Instruments were more than an aid; they were worship.

My Aid ♫ From the Old Testament, we see: ♪ Instruments were more than an aid; they were worship. ♪ Instruments were commanded by God.

My Aid ♫ From the Old Testament, we see: ♪ Instruments were more than an aid; they were worship. ♪ Instruments were commanded by God. ♫ God was quite specific in what instruments he commanded.

My Aid ♫ From the Old Testament, we see: ♪ Instruments were more than an aid; they were worship. ♪ Instruments were commanded by God. ♫ God was quite specific in what instruments he commanded. ♫ The Israelites were not free to use whatever instruments they wanted.

This Argument Misunderstands the Nature of Worship

My Aid ♫ Worship is not about man; worship is about God!

My Aid ♫ Worship is not about man; worship is about God! ♪ “The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him” (Jn 4:23, ESV).

My Aid ♫ Worship is not about man; worship is about God! ♪ “The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him” (Jn 4:23, ESV). ♫ The Father isn’t seeking people who can sing with a certain artistic style or who can sing well.

My Aid ♫ Worship is not about man; worship is about God! ♪ “The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him” (Jn 4:23, ESV). ♫ The Father isn’t seeking people who can sing with a certain artistic style or who can sing well. ♫ He seeks people who will worship in spirit & truth—it’s about him, not me.

My Aid ♫ Worship is not about man; worship is about God! ♪ Jn 4:23. ♪ “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth” (Rev 5:9-10, ESV).

My Aid ♫ Worship is not about man; worship is about God! ♪ Jn 4:23. ♪ “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth” (Rev 5:9-10, ESV). ♫ This hymn praises Christ for his work of redemption.

My Aid ♫ Worship is not about man; worship is about God! ♪ Jn 4:23. ♪ “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth” (Rev 5:9-10, ESV). ♫ This hymn praises Christ for his work of redemption. ♪ Humans are mentioned in this praise.

My Aid ♫ Worship is not about man; worship is about God! ♪ Jn 4:23. ♪ “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth” (Rev 5:9-10, ESV). ♫ This hymn praises Christ for his work of redemption. ♪ Humans are mentioned in this praise. ♪ But, humans are far from the focus of this praise.

My Aid ♫ Worship is not about man; worship is about God! ♪ Jn 4:23. ♪ “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth” (Rev 5:9-10, ESV). ♫ This hymn praises Christ for his work of redemption. ♪ Humans are mentioned in this praise. ♪ But, humans are far from the focus of this praise. ♫ Our praise must be centered on God, not us.

My Aid ♫ Worship is not about man; worship is about God! ♪ Jn 4:23. ♪ Rev 5:9-10. ♪ “Although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things” (Rom 1:21-23, ESV).

My Aid ♫ God is the only appropriate object of worship.

My Aid ♫ God is the only appropriate object of worship. ♪ “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God” (Rev 19:10, ESV).

My Aid ♫ God is the only appropriate object of worship. ♪ “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God” (Rev 19:10, ESV). ♪ “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve’” (Mt 4:10, ESV).

My Aid ♫ Saying I need an instrument for an aid takes the focus off God & puts it on me.

My Aid ♫ Saying I need an instrument for an aid takes the focus off God & puts it on me. ♪ Why do I need an aid?

My Aid ♫ Saying I need an instrument for an aid takes the focus off God & puts it on me. ♪ Why do I need an aid? ♪ There isn’t anything wrong in making our singing the best it can be.

My Aid ♫ “What wisdom is gleaned for worship planners from these prototype churches and their surveys of unchurched America? Keep the mood and tempo of worship upbeat. Resist the minor keys, they’re too somber. Discard ‘churchy’ anthems and hymns.... Provide sermons with catchy “How to...” titles. Encourage casual dress and informal ambiance. Drive the beat of worship with percussion, conclude songs with a flourish of high notes and loud dynamics (no one feels compelled to clap after slow or soft music).... We don’t allow any music in our church to which you couldn’t rollerskate. The new model for efficiency and friendliness and enthusiasm is Walt Disney World.”

This Argument Misunderstands the Nature of an Aid

My Aid ♫ An “aid” is something that helps one fulfill a task.

My Aid ♫ An “aid” is something that helps one fulfill a task. ♫ But instrumental music does not aid us in the purpose for which we sing.

My Aid ♫ We sing to praise God.

My Aid ♫ We sing to praise God. ♪ “I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name” (Rom 15:9, ESV).

My Aid ♫ We sing to praise God. ♪ “I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name” (Rom 15:9, ESV). ♪ How can an instrument help me praise God more effectively?

My Aid ♫ We sing to praise God. ♪ “I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name” (Rom 15:9, ESV). ♪ How can an instrument help me praise God more effectively? ♫ “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name” (Heb 13:15, ESV).

My Aid ♫ We sing to praise God. ♪ “I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name” (Rom 15:9, ESV). ♪ How can an instrument help me praise God more effectively? ♫ “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name” (Heb 13:15, ESV). ♫ There is no way that an instrument can help me offer “the fruit of my lips” to God more effectively.

My Aid ♫ We sing to praise God. ♫ We sing to teach one another.

My Aid ♫ We sing to praise God. ♫ We sing to teach one another. ♪ “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col 3:16, ESV).

My Aid ♫ We sing to praise God. ♫ We sing to teach one another. ♪ “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col 3:16, ESV). ♪ An instrument cannot teach me a single thing.

My Aid ♫ We sing to praise God. ♫ We sing to teach one another. ♪ “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col 3:16, ESV). ♪ An instrument cannot teach me a single thing. ♪ It is, more often than not, an impediment to teaching.

This Argument Misunderstands Generic Authority

My Aid ♫ Aids are used in much of our work in the church.

My Aid ♫ Aids are used in much of our work in the church. ♫ When God gives a command, we are free to use whatever is necessary to carry out the task.

My Aid ♫ When God told Noah to build the ark, Noah was free to use whatever was necessary to build the ark without changing the nature of the command.

My Aid ♫ When God told Noah to build the ark, Noah was free to use whatever was necessary to build the ark without changing the nature of the command. ♪ “Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks” (Gen 6:14-16, ESV).

My Aid ♫ When God told Noah to build the ark, Noah was free to use whatever was necessary to build the ark without changing the nature of the command. ♪ Gen 6: ♫ If Noah wanted to obey God, he had no choice in the particulars.

My Aid ♫ When God told Noah to build the ark, Noah was free to use whatever was necessary to build the ark without changing the nature of the command. ♪ Gen 6: ♫ If Noah wanted to obey God, he had no choice in the particulars. ♫ But what tools was Noah to use?

My Aid ♫ When Jesus gave the Great Commission, he left many particulars to his disciples.

My Aid ♫ When Jesus gave the Great Commission, he left many particulars to his disciples. ♪ “Go... and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19, ESV).

My Aid ♫ When Jesus gave the Great Commission, he left many particulars to his disciples. ♪ “Go... and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19, ESV). ♪ We are to go & make disciples, but Jesus didn’t tell us how.

My Aid ♫ The important thing is that aids cannot change the nature of the command.

My Aid ♫ The important thing is that aids cannot change the nature of the command. ♪ Does an instrument really change the nature of the command to sing?

My Aid ♫ The important thing is that aids cannot change the nature of the command. ♪ Does an instrument really change the nature of the command to sing? ♪ Instrumental music & vocal music are different kinds of music.

My Aid ♫ The important thing is that aids cannot change the nature of the command. ♪ Does an instrument really change the nature of the command to sing? ♪ Instrumental music & vocal music are different kinds of music. ♫ “The whole assembly worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded” (2 Chr 29:28, ESV).

My Aid ♫ The important thing is that aids cannot change the nature of the command. ♪ Does an instrument really change the nature of the command to sing? ♪ Instrumental music & vocal music are different kinds of music. ♫ “The whole assembly worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded” (2 Chr 29:28, ESV). ♫ “The song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the LORD” (2 Chr 5:13, ESV).